I don’t know about you, but I can never get enough pumpkin this time of year. Quite honestly, I can eat pumpkin anything year-round, but I really ramp up my pumpkin consumption during the months of October and November.

If you are looking for some fun new pumpkin recipes to try, I’ve got you covered!

This Slow Cooker Double Hot Chocolate is thick and creamy and is perfect for a cool fall evening or winter’s night. With a combination of Silk Chocolate Soymilk, half-and-half, sweetened condensed milk, and marshmallow cream, this warm beverage is a guilty indulgence you won’t want to stop drinking!

I know, I know. I just shared a warm beverage last week – my Salted Caramel Apple Cider is definitely a fall favorite around my house. But as we edge closer to the holiday season {seriously, Thanksgiving is just over a month away, and that means breaking out the Christmas decorations – which means imbibing in lots and lots of hot chocolate}, I’m already thinking about getting my hot chocolate on.

It’s our holiday tradition to make a slow-cooker full of hot chocolate, pile our glasses high with marshmallows, and turn on Nat King Cole’s Christmas album while putting up the tree. I tend to make a different version of hot chocolate each year – always looking for that perfect mug.

I think I found it.

So, I know I’m missing the dairy-free route by starting this recipe with Silk Chocolate Soy Milk and then adding in all kinds of other dairy products. But if you’re just starting to add soy-products to your diet, this is a good way to ease in. 😉

I’m a huge {HUGE} chocolate milk fanatic – when I was pregnant with Doodle, I drank a giant glass of chocolate milk every single morning. It was my one main craving and I used the fact that I needed calcium as my rationale for indulging. But considering the amount of calories and fat in regular chocolate milk, it’s not an indulgence I’ve continued since.

If you love chocolate milk as much as I do, you should absolutely give Silk Chocolate Soy Milk a try. And while this is a sponsored post – I truly mean it. You’ve heard me talk before about how much of a non-milk lover I am, but this milk just might get me to change my mind. Plus, it’s cholesterol-free, low in saturated fat and pours on 50% more calcium than dairy milk.

Quite honestly, you could warm this chocolate milk on its own for a creamy mug of hot chocolate. But, if you want to be bad, try it in this slow cooker double hot chocolate version! It’s thick and creamy and just about perfect!

This Salted Caramel Apple Cider is the perfect way to warm up on cool fall nights. With just a few ingredients and 10 minutes, you’ll be sipping your way to fall flavors in no time!

I’m typically a coffee drinker. Ask anyone who’s within a 50-foot radius of me in the mornings. Until I get that first hit of early morning joe, it’s pretty much a wise idea to keep your distance.

But when fall rolls around, you can usually find me drinking warm mugs of one beverage or another all day long. And since I don’t like drinking high-octane caffeine in the evenings, I often switch to tea…or apple cider. This particular recipe for Salted Caramel Apple Cider is so good that it’s bad. Bad as in I’ll drink the entire pot myself if I’m not careful.

“Too much sugar” isn’t in my vocabulary {although it would be much better for my wardrobe if it were}.

Doodle takes after me and goes wild for warm apple cider. So I thought he’d love this extra-special twist on his favorite fall beverage.

Brown sugar + heavy cream + apple cider = YUM. Really, really, yum.

This fun, spiced drink is perfect for cool fall nights – and would be a great special beverage for warming up after trick-or-treating or after a long day at the pumpkin patch.

Combine brown sugar and heavy cream over medium-high heat in a medium heavy-bottomed sauce pot. Stir until sugar is dissolved in the cream and the mixture bubbles, about 3 minutes. Add the vanilla, salt, and apple cider, and stir to combine. Allow mixture to simmer for 10 minutes, or until heated through.

With just the touch of a button, you can have a coffee-house style Coconut Mocha Iced Coffee in just under two minutes. Nespresso’s new VertuoLine makes brewing coffee a breeze!

One thing my friends and family know about me: I’m a coffee drinker. Not because it’s a cool or hip thing, but out of necessity. Have you seen these shirts on etsy? I’m pretty sure they’re talking about me.

Image credit: FitNFabApparel

And I’m not usually one for fancy, over-sugared coffee drinks. I’m not sure if this dates back to my all-nighters during graduate school, frantically trying to shove as much 800-level finance and economics into my brain – but I prefer my coffee black. And strong.

But earlier this summer I visited a girlfriend in Seattle – home of coffee’s largest retailer. I’ve read that there are 35 coffee shops per 100,000 residents and that Seattleites spend an average of $36 a month (!) on coffee. So obviously, we drank a lot of coffee during my visit – iced coffees, specifically.

With just a touch of a button, you can have an 8-ounce cup of coffee in just under 2 minutes or a 1.35-ounce espresso in under a minute. When you’re a coffee addict like I am, that quick brew time is everything.

After determining that I do, in fact, love iced coffees, finding a way to make them at home was a necessity. Sorry, but I just can’t see paying upwards of $4.00 a pop at my local coffee-shops. And like I said – I like my coffee strong. So I brewed mine with coffee ice cubes to keep them from getting watered down. Another benefit of making them at home. 😉

One of the coolest things about Nespresso’s new VertuoLine is that each cup of coffee brews with a rich, generous foam called “crema” – it’s naturally formed during the brewing process and is pretty much the bomb.

Just insert a capsule and press the button – that’s it!

And with the crema, you don’t even need to add whipped topping like I did – but if you’re going to splurge, you might as well go whole-hog.

Nespresso offers eight different flavors of coffee, including a decaf and half-caf, as well as two flavored blends: vanilla and hazelnut (yum). You can also choose from four different espresso blends, which range from a high-intensity blend to a decaf.

I used an espresso to make this Coconut Mocha Iced Coffee to ensure that the strong coffee flavor really came through. It was definitely a winner, and so easy to make!

Combine coconut water, coconut milk, and chocolate syrup into a large cocktail shaker. Stir to combine and dissolve the chocolate syrup. Add ice cubes (I froze leftover coffee into cubes) and shake to chill. Pour into a large glass

We’ve rounded up 30 of the best cocktails, perfect for celebrating Cinco de Mayo! From margaritas to mojitos, we’ve got a drink to please anyone! So raise your glasses & spend the day celebrating the best way you know how – with a rim of salt & a squeeze of lime!

35 Cinco de Mayo Inspired Cocktails

Please note: not all of these photos belong to me. To pin a specific image, please click on it to visit its original source. If you want to pin this collection as a whole, feel free to pin the collage image above!

This Thin Mint Protein Shake comes in at under 250 calories, contains a whopping 38 grams of protein, and is only 6 Weight Watchers Points Plus per serving!

I know, I’ve been a little MIA lately. I spent a good portion of February with a cold/flu, which is the third time since October I’ve had the same junk. And as I spent my days sucking on throat drops, downing hot tea, and generally feeling miserable, I came to a conclusion: I need to spend a bit more time taking care of me. Between work, Doodle’s karate schedule, the blog, and trying to fit in all of the other stuff I have to do (i.e.: laundry, groceries, trying to tame the havoc left behind by a 6-year old boy, sleeping on occasion), there wasn’t much time left over for me. And like most women, I tend to put my own needs at the bottom of the list.

And then I realized – I can’t take care of anyone else if I’m not taking care of myself first.

I’m not going to bore you with the details, but I decided one of the things I need to do for me is to make some changes to my eating habits – not an easy prospect when you’re a food blogger. Don’t worry, I’m not going to totally change the focus of my blog, but I am going to share some of my “healthier” recipes with you here and there – if only so that I’m not tempted to eat so many cakes and brownies during photo shoots. 😉

And because I am a long-time Weight Watchers participant, I’m going to do my best to calculate points to go along with some of the recipes I share.

I always, always, always eat breakfast (typically oatmeal), but it doesn’t always ever keep me full all morning. As a result, I end up snacking on other stuff (junk) until lunchtime – and when you work a sedentary job, that’s not a good combination. Lately, I’ve been mixing up protein shakes in the morning. I used to think protein powder was primarily for weightlifters, but I’ve found a scoop in my morning smoothies really does helps keep me full. I’ve been trying some various flavor combinations, and right now, this Thin Mint version is at the top of my list.

ice cubes - I like my shakes thick, so I use 10-12; adjust to your preference

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in blender and pulse until desired consistency is reached.

3.5.3208

Note: calorie count and points plus values do not include whipped cream or cookies.

Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist; these nutrition facts are based on my best estimates based on the products I used in creating this recipe. Since I’m currently counting points on Weight Watchers, I’m calculating this information for my personal use. Nutrient values are estimates only. Variations may occur due to product availability and food preparation. Nutrition may vary based on methods of preparation, origin and freshness of ingredients, etc. This site is not a substitute for the services of a trained health professional. The nutritional information above is for informational purposes only.

Thank you to Weight Watchers for getting my new year started off right. Though I was compensated for my time and commitment, all views, positive and negative, are my own.

So…2014. Canyouevenbelieveit?

If you’re like a lot of other folks, the beginning of a new year sparks a desire to make some healthy changes to your eating habits. Let me just say this: having a baby post age-30 + writing a food blog = the skinny jeans are not happening.

And I’m not so much as concerned about the skinny jeans as I am about maintaining healthy eating habits and setting a good example for raising a healthy child. But for me? It’s really, really hard. I have a terrible habit of ripping open a bag of tortilla chips after work in the early evening and just going to town. Willpower when it comes to food is not my forté.

I’ve been a long-time member of Weight Watchers – and not primarily because I have a lot of weight to lose. But when Doodle was about two years old, I realized my personal health was taking a backseat to my mommy duties. I was too tired, too stressed, too focused on everything else in my life to take time for me.

And that wasn’t good for anyone.

So I took charge of my life again, and signed up for Weight Watchers. I lost weight, yes, but more importantly, I felt better about myself. Healthier. Stronger. Happier. In control.

And then…I started blogging. My snacks of fresh berries and veggies with hummus slowly became replaced with bites of cheesecake cookies and chocolate banana bread during photo shoots. My jeans got a little tighter. I felt tired and sluggish, and I knew I needed to make some changes – again. So when I saw Weight Watchers had a new Simple Start plan to get into the swing of things, it was just the push I needed.

The goal of Simple Start is to get you in the habit of eating good-for-you foods. During the first two weeks of this plan, you don’t have to worry about portion size. All you have to do is choose meals and snacks from the lists provided, and eat ’em. 😉

Weight Watchers even created a shopping list to help you navigate the grocery store aisles. The meals have swap options and flavor boosts, and there are plenty of options for vegetarians. Yep, it’s really that easy.

Not only that, but on the Simple Start plan, you get 7 point-plus per day to spend on indulgences. That includes chocolate, peanut butter, and/or wine. I don’t know about you, but it’s the times that I’m too strict or deprive myself that I have a hard time staying on track. Knowing that I have a daily treat to look forward to really helps keep me motivated.

While this smoothie isn’t specific to the Simple Start plan (I’ll talk about specifics in a later post), it is one of my favorite snacks when I’ve tracked points in the past. Loaded with fresh fruit, Greek yogurt, coconut milk, and a bit of ground flaxseed, you don’t have to feel guilty about indulging!

That stuff that you purchase in the cardboard canisters at the grocery store? Yeah…those don’t have anything on this. And guess what? This takes less than 5 minutes to mix up.

Plus, it makes a ton (and can easily be doubled, tripled…you get the idea), and is perfect for holiday gift-giving. Especially when you’re as craftiness-impaired as I am.

See the cute little tag wound around the jar with the instructions on how to make an individual steaming mug of creamy, chocolate bliss? You can get the printables here (they’re free, and Jason and Jennifer’s entire site is amazing – so go check it out). Even if you don’t do crafty and/or creative, you’re totally covered here.

Mix together four ingredients, pour ’em into a jar, print some labels, and BAM. Easy gift-giving: DONE.

This mix is perfect gifted along with some Kahlúa (I used the Cinnamon-Spice flavor in mine, and it was two-mug worthy!), although the Peppermint Mocha would be equally as fabulous.

This Cinnamon-Spiced Monkey Bread with a Kahlúa-caramelized glaze is sure to be a hit during your holiday festivities. Bonus? It’s super simple!

I know many people serve monkey bread for breakfast, but I like it just as well for dessert. Maybe for both breakfast and dessert? Let’s be honest: I don’t discriminate when it comes to sweets! 😉

And when it comes to wintertime sweets, I love to curl up with the flavors of cinnamon and molasses – two of the primary ingredients in this easy monkey bread. Sure, you can make your own dough, but I’m often looking for instant gratification when it comes to sweets, and this breakfast (dessert?) can be in your mouth in less than 30 minutes.

I used 2 rolls of Grands biscuits for the bread, and I rolled the pieces in a combination of cinnamon and dark brown sugar. I loved using dark brown sugar here because it gave the bread a deeper flavor than light brown sugar – but feel free to substitute if you don’t have dark brown sugar on hand.

The glaze? Super easy and made in the microwave in just one minute–with more brown sugar, cinnamon, molasses, and one ingredient that pushed this decadent treat right over the edge: Kahlúa Cinnamon Spice.

Yum.

Quite frankly, coffee is a requirement for me at breakfast – and also oftentimes alongside my desserts, especially on a cold winter night. So yeah, try pairing this Kahlúa Cinnamon Spice coffee alongside the monkey bread.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease the inside of a 10-cup Bundt pan.

Place 1 cup brown sugar and 1 tablespoon cinnamon into a gallon-sized Ziploc bag. Open biscuits and cut each one into four pieces. Drop a few biscuit pieces at a time into the mixture of cinnamon/sugar and shake bag to coat. Place biscuit pieces into bundt pan and repeat, until all pieces are coated.

In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and Kahlúa. Microwave on high for 1 minute, or until butter is melted. Stir to combine, then pour over the dough in the bundt pan.

Bake at 400 for 20 to 25 minutes, or until dough turns golden brown and springs back lightly when you press on it with your finger. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes in the pan, then invert onto a serving plate.

To a cup of your favorite coffee, add 1 part Kahlúa Cinnamon Spice, 1 part cinnamon simple syrup, and 1 part cream/milk/half-and-half (I used about a tablespoon or so of each, but adjust to your own tastes).

Top with whipped cream and cinnamon, if desired:

To make the cinnamon simple syrup:

In a heavy bottomed sauce pan, combine 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water and a cinnamon stick over high heat. Bring to a boil and then reduce to medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Allow syrup to cook over medium-high heat until syrup reduces by half, or about 10 minutes. Store covered in refrigerator for up to one week.

This Pumpkin Pie in a Glass is my new favorite drink for Fall. Now you can eat your pie – and drink it, too.

It’s the time of year for entertaining, and if you’re like my friends and family, you can’t get enough pumpkin pie anything. My cousin is actually known for layering huge scoops of whipped cream between two slices of pumpkin pie and eating it all herself {we call it the double-decker}. Granted, she did this as a teenager {a few decades ago}, but it’s still the main topic of conversation around the dessert table at Thanksgiving.

And if you’re really like me, you’re stuffed to the brim after the Thanksgiving meal {or any holiday meal, for that matter}…but you still want that something sweet. Sweet potatoes don’t count: those are vegetables, no?

That’s where Pumpkin Pie in a Glass comes in. Seriously, this drink is rich, creamy, and delicious, and tastes just like pumpkin pie. Plus, it has Kahlúa Pumpkin Spice in it, so it’s perfect for my family functions. 😉

It’s also just as delicious served right along these no-bake mini pumpkin pies. Because who needs a double-decker when you can drink your pie and eat it, too?

If you want to be a little decadent, add some of the Kahlúa Pumpkin Spice into your whipped cream. I taste-tested it for you, and it’s pretty darn yummy.